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 Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:20 pm
Losing the battle in Elysion had been a nightmare for Ares. She knew that volunteering to be the bait for the two generals would put her in harm's way, but she had never expected to be forcibly thrown from the dream realm by its guardian, Quail's Eye. The Senshi of Smoke was not one to ever sit on the sidelines. She spent the time that the battle raged on without her presence worrying. Her hands were red from the number of times she counted and rearranged her glass marble collection until she got the final report from the battlefield from Albali.
The cuts on her leg had begun to heal, and the full range of her movement had been restored. With those improvements, Ares took it upon herself to go on patrol. It was like breathing for her, roaming the city looking for a fight.
She had barely been out for two minutes when she saw two unfamiliar senshi on the edge of a rooftop looking panicked. Ares crossed to them and said gruffly, "What's wrong?"
The two girls looked at each other. The shorter of the pair spoke up. "We got a distress signal from a senshiphone in the area that there was a Nega, but..."
"We don't think we can face one alone!" the second finished.
There was no time for Ares to rip these two sad excuses for senshi a new a*****e. Instead, she demanded to know the location of this senshi in peril and then took off at a sprint. It didn't take her long to get to All Nite Taco, but when she did, she saw no sign of a senshi.
In front of her, she spotted a cellphone sitting on a metal wire table. The senshi crept closer. There was something red on the cover. One painted nail reached out to touch it. "Blood," she whispered.
Ares whipped around just in time to catch a toy firetruck to the side of her head, then a punch to her stomach. She stumbled backward, catching herself on the table. A redhaired Nega lieutanent with baggy pants, a mohawk, and no front teeth was grinning back at her. "I knew if I used the phones, I could flush out one or two of ya'll," he said, laughing. "I bet you wish you ain't answered that call, am I right?"
The Senshi of Smoke slowly got to her feet, cocking her head to one side. "Actually?" she said, amusement in her voice. "I'm feeling pretty glad that I did." Jumping up, Super Sailor Ares planted her boot squarely in Lt. Mohawk's gut and then rolled backward over the table to gain some protective cover.
Elysion wasn't the only place that she could find Negas to fight.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:59 am
The battle in Elysion had a toll too on Super Sailor Flora; besides the bruises she had suffered, what was much worse was remembering being forcibly torn from the place as it was corrupted. She hadn't done much to stop the Negaverse, hadn't even taken down the one she had been fighting. Despite Rea's assurance that it wasn't her fault, she took it hard, and took to the streets to patrol to clear her mind, and hopefully, the guilt. She thought the questions had stopped. The questions deep within her about the the difference between the Senshi and Negaverse, what was the right thing to do, and was what was wrong really what they thought it was? Sadly enough, losing that battle only brought them all back as she tried to quash them. All the doubts she had were no use in battle.
Tonight, she stood on a rooftop, not intending to go back to Elysion if she could. Of course, it was relatively stupid; she needed her sleep, and sleep meant entering the dreamworld. It was just... difficult to witness what she knew to be again, and Flora barely registered the impatient beeping in her ears. It took a while to realize where it came from, and summon her cellphone, peering at it. A distress signal in the area.
Well, this was a chance to help someone, and Flora intended to do exactly that. Perhaps it would make her feel better.
She was wrong.
Seeing the bloodstained cellphone brought a deep feeling of dread, and the loathing towards the Negaverse agent who had done this rose. It was reminiscent of the anger she had possessed while fighting Alkaid, and she was determined to help this senshi take this loathsome creature down. "I bet you wish," she interrupted, "after what we're going to do to you, you hadn't sent out that distress call."
The lieutenant, grunting slightly after the impact of Ares kick, swiveled his head upwards at the sound of another voice. Evidently, the cocky grin that spread on his face upon seeing her meant he didn't think himself stupid at all, and was probably congratulating himself on the prospect of gaining two more senshi starseeds tonight.
The next thing he knew, the Senshi of Spring had leaped down and punched him viciously in the face. He flailed in response, trying to fend her off with blows to her arms. "But you fell for it, didn't you? HAH!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:11 am
Ares did not recognize who the strange senshi was who swooped in to assist her in the battle at first glance. It was when she drew near, pulling the attack to her, that the Senshi of Smoke noticed the flowers in her hair and the lightness in her eyes. Was this... Sailor Flora? Ares had certainly seen her before, but the two had never spoken, never formally met. She was, like Lyra and Nemesis (and their beloved Pegasus), a member of the Dream Team. The others had spoken briefly of her. Ares only knew the highlights: long-time senshi, handmaiden to the Zodiac Princess, possesses dominion over Spring.
In her rambling thoughts, Ares caught a kick to the chin. Lt. Mohawk had thrown Flora backwards and, seeing Ares approach, made a move to fend her off preemptively. An angry red mark sprang up, and she groaned. "Always with the face!" One hand flashed out, twisting itself in his hair. She yanked his head sharply backward, slamming it into the picnic table.
The lieutenant swore sharply. "Y'all ain't no ladies!" he taunted.
Ares punched him in the mouth. "And you aren't a man," she hissed. Crossing forward, Ares reached to grab him by the hair again, but the Nega was prepared. He slammed his toy firetruck into the side of her head so hard that the thing shattered, leaving a tiny plastic ladder slightly embedded in her temple. The Senshi staggered backward, tearing the toy from her face and slapping a hand over to feel for damage.
The Nega only laughed and then summoned his toy again -- all shiny and new.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:23 am
Flora had barely glanced at Ares; although she was positive of the two facts that she could bother herself with for now. 1. She knew that the senshi seemed familiar; had seen her in Elysion. 2. She wasn't corrupted. She had no idea, of course, that Ares had formed a team, and that two of the Dream Team members were currently in it. Honestly, Flora had sometimes wished that their team members were had more tight-knit relations, but she knew they all had their own lives to lead. That and being a Season Senshi and having a Princess certainly did take a toll on any intended team social bonding time.
She circled the lieutenant, eying for an opening as the other senshi lunged into the fight. Honestly, Flora was rather displeased at the thought that this haughty Negaverse agent had managed to get hold of a senshi cellphone. With a toy for a weapon, no less. It was so ridiculous and insulting that she wanted to cause him pain until he lost consciousness. And then perhaps, just perhaps, the feeling of victory would be able to tide her over for now.
"Enough with the toys, Immaturite." She spoke, deciding that it would be best to keep a distance from him for now. His small weapon meant that his attacks were relatively short-ranged. But thankfully enough, hers wasn't. "Flora Pollen Cloud!"
With that, the Lieutenant suddenly found his face surrounded completely by a cloud of pollen dust. Without thinking, he took in a deep breath of surprise and immediately swore, coughing wildly. Even as he tried to leap about in an attempt to escape, he found that both the Senshi's eyes and the irritating cloud was trained directly the area of his nose and mouth, refusing to relent.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:16 am
Akina Tokuwa A grin broke on Ares' face. A girl with a power after her own heart! Swoon. Coming up beside her, the Senshi of Smoke fell into her own stance, twirling the long torch she held over her head and shouting, " Ares Smothering Blast!" Where Flora's pollen cloud had been, now there was also black, thick smoke rolling around in a thick column. The Nega had clearly underestimated what going up against two super senshi would mean for him. His eyes weren't visible in the haze of dual fog, but for an instant, Ares thought she heard the boy sobbing. Lt. Mohawk breathed in both toxic smoke and toxic pollen. The smoke caused him to hallucinate as the supply of oxygen to his brain was cut off. Drool spilled from either side of his mouth, and his eyes had been so badly scored by the combination of their attacks that he could not even see. When the attacks dissipated, the Nega collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat. His face was stained with the debris of smoke and pollen. Water slicked down his cheeks from his eyes as he sputtered for breath, murmuring incoherently. Breath came to him in gasps, and when it did, those gasps were broken by sobs. "P-p-please, ma'am," he rasped. The words were barely audible. "I ain't got no choice..." He breathed hard. "I ain't got no choice but to be this way! I was... I made... I was made into this..." Another sob broke him. Lt. Mohawk had stopped being a threat and turned immediately into a charity case. Super Sailor Ares laughed. She looked at Flora with glee in her eyes, expecting the Senshi of Spring to feel the same pleasure at seeing him like this. Slowly, she stalked over to the boy. "Oh, someone made you this way..." she echoed. "Poor little you. Poor little Negaverse you." Ares kicked the boy in the guy suddenly. He spat up blood, clearly on the verge of death if they did not show him mercy. "It's so easy to see the light when you realize you have been beaten." She kicked him again. He let out a whimper. "Unfortunately, I am not interested in reforming the Negaverse. I only care to see them suffer." Ares crouched down and pulled the boy's head up by his hair. His eyes were blank, unseeing. One looked absolutely destroyed from where he had scratched himself during their attack. "Are you suffering, Lieutenant..." She snapped twice, trying to remember his name. Instead, her eyes flashed to Flora, a smile there. "Immaturite. I like it." She let his head fall back to the pavement and got to her feet once more. Again, she looked at Flora. "Well done, right? We had him crying within a minute of battle. That has to be some record." The Nega continued to writhe on the ground. Ares crossed to Flora with her hand extended. "I'm Super Sailor Ares, Senshi of Smoke... and you're Flora, right? Nemesis and Lyra had mentioned you before." In a flash, Ares had gone from cold-blooded to genial welcome wagon. It was as if she did not notice the slowly dying boy still crying on the ground. "Did you want to do the honors?" she said, jerking a thumb at him. "I wanted to ask him about Elysion, but it's only fair that you get a chance to soften him up too." Ares smiled. Melodine Cantus And then, there was smoke too, as the other senshi called out her attack. Despite herself knowing that Ares was an ally, Flora couldn't help but take an instinctive step backwards. Somehow, it reminded her of her meeting with Hel; the ashy corrupted senshi, and she didn't want to take her chances. It was somewhat weird to realize that this was what had caused her reaction instead of being influenced by a voice in her head telling her that it would get her outfit dirty. Perhaps it was due to how the Senshi outfit could somehow magically clean itself, or it was due to developing a mature mindset. She wasn't sure if she should lean towards the latter. Especially as she watched the Lieutenant's breathing grow shallow with the magnitude of two 'air-polluting' attacks, and she felt an odd twinge in her gut. Was it pity?
No, Flora thought fiercely. Remember. Remember what they had did as a whole, and what he had done to the senshi whose phone he had used to lure them in. No pity, no pity. She chanted internally, trying to ingrain those words in her mind. "You had a choice." She said, her words sounding faraway to her own ears. Her heart wavered slightly but she kept firm, saying what she knew was right. What she should believe that was right. "A choice to bring pain to this world or to turn away from that offer. Turning away takes courage, your courage. Your choice."
Witnessing the sudden spurt of blood produced a kick in her mind. She had never really seen a Negaverse agent so beat up in front of her before, and that the cause was partly due to her. She thought that this scene would make her feel better, but it only made her feel empty and conflicted, and she didn't like it. They deserved it. They had beaten up their people before; herself, Castor, Pegasus, Euterpe, and so many more she called her friends. Flora swallowed, dredging up the memories, the visual images of them broken, both physically and emotionally, all due to the Negaverse. Creatures like the one that lay at her feet.
"It is pretty... impressive." Flora managed slowly, forcing a smile onto her face. "It's nice to meet you, Ares." Well, if Nemesis and Lyra had met her and liked her enough to mention her name, she was alright... right? But there was a sudden click in her mind, remembering when Helios had erupted into anger, her eyes trained directly in a certain direction, on a certain senshi... Pegasus and this senshi had grudges, and she wasn't clear on the why.
Elysion. The name brought more clarity, caused her gaze to snap right back to the cowering Lieutenant. "I leave it to you." She answered flatly, after a long pause. She wasn't sure that she could kick or punch him with the same amount of hatred and focus she had before. Deep down inside, she knew that it would be done half-heartedly and be utterly pointless. Akina Tokuwa Ares dipped her head in respect. Dream Team had been cropping up in many of her conversations lately. More and more, the Senshi of Smoke saw that it would be in her best interests to forge an alliance there. It would start now, perhaps, with Flora. "Fine by me," she said, rounding back on the Nega. Lt. Mohawk had managed to crawl away one foot while Ares and Flora shot the breeze. The senshi grab him by an ankle and forcibly pulled him back to the original spot, dropping his leg forcibly. "I don't think I excused you," she said. "I don't think Flora did either." Ares kicked the Nega in the stomach so that he flipped over onto his back. His boot planted itself on his neck and pressed. The Nega cried out, clutching both hands feebly to her ankle. If he was at full strength, he could have shoved her away. Unfortunately, the wooziness and poisoning caused by the two senshi attacks had left him entirely weakened. "Lieutenant," Ares said, her voice suddenly ringing with a soothing edge. "I will make you a promise." The boy looked up at her, she thought, but as he was blinded, it hardly seemed possible. Her toe lifted up a fraction to allow him to breathe. "W-w-what?" he stammered, still clutching her ankle. Ares let her eyes soften. "I have one question that I desperately need an answer to, Lieutenant. If you answer it for me, then my fellow senshi and I will spare your life -- even when you were not so kind to one of our own." She gestured to the bloody cellphone. "I didn't kill her!" he murmured harshly. "My Captain did. My Captain did and I s-s-stole the phone." His lips shook. "I have only been with the Negaverse for t-t-two weeks... I couldn't... I could never..." Ares waved a hand to silence him. The tension in her jaw gave away her anger, even as she fought to keep it from her voice. "No matter, Lieutenant," she said. "But please -- listen to me. Senshi are a force of good, and we are bound by our word. If I promise you that I will spare your life if you answer my question, then you can believe me. Lies are for the Negaverse. We are dedicated to truth, beauty, and the perservation of life." Her boot lifted off of his throat entirely. She turned over her shoulder to Flora. "Flora can attest to the honesty and mercy of the senshi. It is what separates us from you." Then she waited for the other senshi to chime in. Melodine Cantus They needed information. Flora told herself, pushing the strange knot of emotions as far back as it could go. With this, she readied a steely glare down at the Lieutenant, watching quietly as Ares took the lead and began her query. It was established that he did not kill the Senshi, which made sense as Flora had serious doubts before that he would have been able to take down one of their own. She wondered which Captain it was who had done this, but did it really matter? They were all the same, cold-blooded killers she had seen lifting starseeds from bodies. As much as Immaturite might try to plead his case to get out of this situation, he had already taken lives by aligning himself with the Negaverse. This was the cold, bitter truth she should accept.
"What Ares says is true." She spoke, a weight lifting in her chest that she hadn't realized was there. Yes, the Senshi were the good guys as opposed to them. The Negaverse agents had been blinded by lies; she had found that arguing with some of their staunch believers that they had been seriously misguided. Still, how misguided did one need to be to resort to the heinous act of snatching up lives of innocents? "I fought to return the starseed to a body once, Lieutenant. It has always been my promise to protect as many people as I can, and I have done by best during my duties." She paused, folding her arms. "So I suggest that you speak the truth, and only that. We don't tolerate lies. We've seen enough of it to make us sick."
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:23 am
The lieutenant sucked in a breath, pushing himself up weakly on his elbows. There was mistrust and confusion in his eyes. He allowed himself a moment to think, coughing once or twice. There was blood in it, and it speckled the front of his uniform. "Okay," he said at last. "I... I trust you. If you let me live, I will answer your question." Lt. Mohawk blinked twice, one hand rubbed at his eye. The right eye was likely permanently damaged, but the other was slowly clearly, gradually moving back toward sight. He could see the two senshi in vague outlines.
Ares nodded. "How did the Negas get into Elysion? Were they let in by Chibimoon? Kurma?" Her gray eyes grew serious.
The defeated Nega shook his head. "I don't know who Kurma is," he murmured. "And I don't know Chibimoon." He opened his mouth to speak, but broke out into a coughing fit. Ares waited tensely for him to finish. "There was just... a call. All of us, summoned to the Negaspace, and there was this big, booming voice that told us to go through a portal to protect Elysion from the senshi." There had been a name to that voice, but the green lieutenant could not remember it. What was her name? Had someone said it? Lt. Immaturite only knew of Beryl, and even then, she had not been the one to corrupt him.
He swallowed thickly. "I don't know who it was speaking, just a woman. But it was one of us." Again, the lieutenant exploded in a coughing fit, his head sagging forward.
"Beryl?" Ares offered.
"No," the lieutenant said. "It wasn't her. Someone else."
Ares made a speculative sound in her throat.
Slowly, he dragged himself toward the picnic bench and leaned against it, his head balanced of the metal edge of the bench. "That's... all I know." He met Ares' eye and looked serious. "I swear it on my life. I don't know who it was, or how she did it. I don't get told anything important."
Super Sailor Ares waited, watched his eyes for the tremor of a lie. He was too weak and too new to be that good at spreading falsehood as truth. So it had not been Chibimoon then, and if it was a woman's voice, then it wasn't Kurma. Ares pursed her lips.
The lieutenant tried to sit up more. "Now I can go?" he asked weakly, eyes searching her face.
The Senshi of Smoke turned. "Sure," she said. Behind her, Lt. Immaturite tried to stand. Ares gave Flora a tiny smile. "Oh, and Lieutenant?" she said lowly, her voice sickly sweet.
In a flash, Sailor Ares turned, slamming her booted foot at the boy's head. His neck bent backward over the metal bench, and there was distinct, muffled snap!. She lowered her leg as his body slumped to the ground, finally dead.
"Thanks for all your help," she said to the empty air.
An aura of triumph filled the space around Ares. She turned back to Flora with a wide grin. It was perhaps the happiest that the senshi ever looked. She laughed brightly, hooking one thumb toward the dead body. "If there is one thing we can count on," she said, crossing back to the other senshi, "it is the stupidity of the new recruits."
Without missing a beat, Ares flowed right back into conversation. "Do you think I could borrow your phone? I need to call Super Senshi Gunn for a little help with this body." She offered no clarification and seemed utterly unshaken by what had just happened.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:02 am
Flora's gaze darted towards Ares as she mentioned Chibimoon (and Kurma?), watching the other senshi out of the corner of her eye warily. If they hadn't been interrogating a Negaverse agent right now, she would have immediately jumped to the young Princess' defense; something she knew her own Princess would do if she had heard this accusation. Still, it was probably a hook to pry more information out of him, and she kept silent. True enough, he didn't know those names; he seemed to be too much of a greenhorn to told such important information. Still, whatever he was saying now was interesting, and she kept it noted down mentally. Rea would want to know this, to know who had the power to let in the Negaverse into the place she was supposed to guard.
It was not Beryl, and so Flora too, could not think of any other possibilities for it to be. Someone more powerful than Beryl? Definitely. But who? The Negaverse agents had always proclaimed their loyalty towards their supposed Queen... was there someone else holding the strings in the shadows? It was something to run past the Princess and Helios, for sure.
She trusted that Immaturite was telling the truth. He seemed too shaken, too frightened to lie, plus he was a greenhorn. If he had been a Captain or someone more powerful, she would have doubted them immediately. She nodded, after Ares had given her consent for him to leave, shoulders relaxing. However, she had no idea that Ares didn't think that this was over.
The swift action that brought about his sudden demise caused her to suck in a surprised gasp. A foot had inched slightly forward, mouth open, the protest dying on her lips as she watched the body helplessly. It was too late to do anything. He was not moving, he was not yelling, he was not doing... anything. He was dead.
D-dead.
Cold dread seeped into her body and seemed to fill her entirely, as she clapped a hand over her mouth. It felt strange, it almost felt like she wanted to throw up. But why did she feel this way? She wasn't supposed to; if she thought this rationally, he would have gone back to report to his superiors about this and they would definitely be targeted. He would have lived on to rise through the ranks of the Negaverse, and probably come back to get his revenge on them. But it wasn't right. They couldn't... stoop to their level, to rip away a life so mercilessly...
She swallowed, not knowing what to say, what to do. "Here." Her voice wavered slightly as she pulled out her phone and handed it over to Ares, eyes transfixed on the body. It was as if she was wishing a finger would twitch, to reveal that he still had some life in him. She took in another deep breath, and managed to pry her gaze away, settling instead on the cellphone atop the table which had belonged to a dead senshi. She was dead, therefore it was right for him to die too...
As logical as it sounded, there was a voice in her that was adamantly refusing to believe that it was right. Maybe, just maybe, this was why Pegasus had disliked Ares.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:58 am
Akina Tokuwa Sailor Ares had not immediately noticed the look on Flora's face. She was too busy riding on her battle high. When she did see it -- the pain, confusion, shock -- the senshi slowly tilted her head to one side. What? Was there something in her teeth? "Are you feeling all right, Super Sailor Flora?" she said, reaching a hand out to touch the girl's shoulder. It never occured to her why the Senshi of Spring might be upset. Instead, she grabbed the cellphone and, not waiting for a reply, dialed Gunn. The conversation from Flora's perspective sounded like this: "Gunn. It's Ares. I need some special clean-up." Silence, Ares was nodding. "Right, just a baby one this time. Unfortunate, but still an opportunity to send a message." The senshi laughed, some sort of joke was said perhaps? "I have my torch on me, that's about it. I'd like it to be legible so... hm? Oh yes, bring one for me." Gunn's voice on the other lined buzzed audibly, but the words were indecipherable. Ares gave her their location and then shut the phone and handed it back to Flora. "Thanks," she said, smiling politely. She offered no explanation on the cryptic conversation. When she noticed the uncertainty still brewing in Flora's eyes, the Senshi of Smoke let her smile fade. How could anyone be sad? They had just eliminated an enemy combatant and gotten information to boot. This was the kind of victory that Ares would report to the Blood Moon Court at their next meeting with a laugh and a highfive. This would not be the first time that Ares encountered a senshi who hesitated to kill, but she was surprised that someone from the Zodiac lineage, the ones who hold the line, would be disturbed by it. Those two things did not compute for her so she chose to ignore it. "Thanks for your help," she said, crossing over to the dead body. "Our two attacks are fierce together. Did you see how raw his eyes were? The next time we see each other on the battlefield, we should try that on a more powerful Nega. See how it does." The Senshi of Smoke grinned, trying to encourage Flora to celebrate the victory as subtly as possible. Losses deserved punishment; victories should be met with adulation. One hand hooked around the collar of the Nega. His body slumped forward over her hand. Ares struggled to tug him flat to the ground, hastily pulling and pushing. "We should get him out of plain view. Police patrol around here. Could you grab his feet? There is an alley back there that could keep him hidden." Ares hooked both arms under his shoulders, hugging his limp and lifeless form to her chest. It was as if she were moving a couch. Melodine Cantus "I'll... be alright." Flora managed to choke out, fists clenching as she took in deep breaths to stabilize the flurry of emotions that threatened to make her collapse. Her knees felt weak, and she tried her best to stand up straight as Ares worried herself with calling a senshi called Gunn. As long as Flora had been a Senshi, she still didn't recognize some names; the Senshi grew as Guardian Cats decided to pop into civilian lives and awaken them. It was different from the Negaverse, she thought, that they all seemed to know each other, work together collectively as an army... Ugh, even thinking of them that way made her sick to her stomach, and she distracted herself by listening to the phone conversation.
A message? Torch? Legible? She had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. The Senshi of Spring only took her phone back with a nod, not wanting to pry. It was like how Flora wouldn't care to explain things she would talk about with Pegasus; friends had their own cryptic messages and jokes only each other could understand.
She wished Pegasus was here, actually. Or did she really, when both Pegasus and Ares would likely fly into a fight and she would have to try and reason with the both of them? No, all she wanted was for someone to lean on, and Flora didn't feel comfortable leaning on someone she had just met and killed someone right in front of her eyes.
"It would be... a sight to see, indeed." She agreed, remembering how their attacks had worked together, voice slow and measured. What if they had tried it on someone like Serandite? Flora didn't like her, had heard from the Princess that she had apparently gotten stronger... It was then she remembered when Chronos had once told her.
"They haven't hesitated to even kill those on our side. I don't see why we should show them mercy, Not when innocent lives are at stake."
"Kunzite killed Nova once."
Flora moved dutifully, grimacing as she lifted Lt. Immaturite's legs gingerly (thank goodness she was wearing gloves), trying to repress a shudder. "I've never seen a dead Negaverse agent before." Never had been the contributing cause to a death either. "Only almost died at their hands once. So I guess this is just... new... strange to me." Perhaps it was an effort to explain her actions, to make small talk, to lighten the thick atmosphere that was stifling her... or maybe it was to convince herself exactly why she felt this way.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:16 am
The two senshi walked slowly into the alley. Ares was happy to see that Flora had found her voice again, but troubled at the words coming out. She dropped her end of the dead Nega abruptly.His head cracked back against the concrete, but the damage had already been done. The senshi nudged him with the toe of her boot, pushing him deeper into a pile of garbage bags. "Well, we can only hope that this one is the start of a sea of dead Nega bodies for you," she said, wiping her hands off on the corset of her fuku. "The tides are turning. It is up to us to stop the Nega infestation in Destiny City." Ares flicked the Nega's hand over his chest with her boot. "Starting with trash like this." Her nose wrinkled. The entire alley smelled faintly of rotting taco meat.
It would be a bit before Gunn made it over to her neck of the woods to deal with the body. She wouldn't want Flora around when that time came, but the girl couldn't resist doing a little more digging into the Dream Team. "Flora, next time you meet a Nega, you should take a killing blow," she said. "It would be good for you, good for your team. The time is going to come where senshi can't sit on the sidelines waiting for someone else to get their hands dirty. It is going to be up to us -- and to you. You are a Super Senshi, a Zodiac handmaiden, and a member of the Dream Team. People look up to you." She shrugged, a small gesture.
"Trust me -- I have heard people say it before." Had she? Well, more or less... She knew of the handmaiden, could see her advanced rank, had experienced the strength of her power. It was enough. "You have the potential to be a great and powerful leader among the senshi." There was truth there, honesty. Ares meant the words. "Just make sure they have something powerful to look at -- someone who doesn't hesitate to strike down a murdererous Nega." Her advice was offered without an air of condescending, without affront, without rebuke. It sounded as if Ares was trying to give the Senshi of Spring a pep-talk, a little inspiration.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 3:19 am
Flora instinctively dropped Immaturite's feet when Ares did, trying to not focus on the dull crack his head made when the other had released her end. It sent chills down her spine, and Flora could only stared at her gloved hands, keeping them away from touching her body even though she had a desire to hug herself. Trash. Sure, she had always despised the Negaverse, but they were still people too, weren't they? People who kill, she tried to remind herself, but those words only seemed hollow. Especially since they had just killed...
The Senshi of Spring bit her lip and averted her eyes from the corpse, now aware that her hands were shaking. She hid them behind her back as Ares talked, with a skeptical raise of the eyebrow. "I'll think about it." She said quietly. It wouldn't do to argue; Flora wasn't really in the mood with argue with someone like Ares.
"People look up to me?" It was a bit of a surprise, really, since Flora had never thought about it and let others, like Pegasus, Chronos, Aries, and now Virgo, take the lead. She was content with doing her part the best she could. Her attack wasn't as powerful as some others were... and Ares was insinuating that showing power meant being cold-hearted enough to do murder.
Flora swallowed, and had to force herself to meet Ares eyes and give her a grim smile; as much as a smile as she could muster. "I'll think about it." She repeated and with a few leaps, she was atop the rooftops again and ran, desperately wanting to collapse into her apartment as soon as possible.
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